Lost in Translation
by kakeinei
Summary: Gilbert Beilschmidt was gifted in a lot of things. Or at least he liked to think so. Swearing, fighting, drinking, pranking, and just pissing people off in general….but expressing his emotions was not one of them. Especially not in a foreign language. One shot. Fluff & mildly suggestive themes? Rated T for language just to be safe.


_Hello! Yes I am still alive after being inactive for 5 months...But here's another PruHun fic dedicated to my friend Gigi for her birthday...See bottom for further A/N_

 ** _Disclaimer: I do not own Hetalia or any characters mentioned._**

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Gilbert Beilschmidt was gifted in a lot of things. Or at least he liked to think so. Swearing, fighting, drinking, pranking, and just pissing people off in general….but expressing his emotions was not one of them. Especially not in a foreign language.

"Dammit! Why is this language so fucking hard?!" A frustrated yell sounded from a closed door. Gilbert, seated on the floor with his legs crossed, crumpled the slip of paper in his hands and threw it across the room.

"Just be patient, practice some more", A deeper, richer voiced replied. The speaker, a tall broad-shouldered man leaned against the wall, calmly taking a sip from his mug of coffee. "It was your idea to learn Hungarian."

"That was before I realized how hard this language is," grumbled Gilbert, stuffing his hands in his pockets. Pushing himself to his feet with a sigh, he patted the dust off his pants before fetching the slip of paper he previously threw to the ground, now in a wrinkled ball.

"Let's try this again. _Szeretlek_." Brows furrowed together, the pale haired Prussian read aloud from the note, in an attempt to recall what his brother had pronounced for him moments before.

"You're getting it wrong again. It's not ' _she-ret-lek_ ' it's _szeretlek_ _._ "Ludwig, Gilbert's younger brother gently corrected him.

"I know! That's what I just said!" Gilbert huffed indignantly, crossing his arms over his chest and plopping back down to the floor.

"No, I heard you say ' _she-ret-lek_ '."

"Did not!"

"Yes you did."

"No I didn't!"

"Do you love Elizabeta or not?" An exasperated Ludwig rose from his position against the wall and strode to the door, preparing to leave.

"Wait! Ok fine, I'll do it again." Gilbert scrambled up to seize his slightly annoyed brother's sleeve and dragged him back, promptly pushing him down on a chair.

"Alright. I got this. There's nothing the great Prussia can't do," He rolled his shoulders, cracked his knuckles and took a deep breath. "But…what if she laughs and I make a total fool out of myself?"

"Will you just hurry up and say your blasted line?!" Ludwig snapped, beginning to rise from his seat again, only to be shoved back roughly. "Who cares if your pronunciation isn't perfect, you've already made a fool of yourself enough times to make Elizabeta be used to it. Besides, you should thank me for asking Friderich for the proper pronunciation. I could have left you alone with Google translate."

"Don't bring up that ghastly bespectacled violin boy," Gilbert glared at him, his ruby colored eyes blazing, offended by his brother's harsh comment. Although no longer enemies, Elizabeta's Austrian ex-boyfriend was still not on friendly terms with Gilbert, who regarded him as a threat to his love interest, but was obviously too proud to admit. "There's nothing Austria can do that I can't do better."

So the day dragged on, with the golden haired German lounged on the chair and the silver haired Prussian pacing back and forth, muttering in broken Hungarian the one word he knew would have trouble coming out of his mouth in a few days.

◊ ◊ ҉ ◊ ◊

Elizabeta Héderváry had no trouble finding a boyfriend. In fact, she was far from troubled, with a trail of guys constantly ogling at her from afar, no doubt attracted not only to her looks and body, but her outgoing personality as well. The problem was, when she revealed her "violent side" (as Gilbert Beilschmidt referred to) they all ran away like she was the reincarnation of Medusa herself. But Elizabeta didn't care. As much as she'd like to deny, she had long ago decided that she was the only one who could tolerate Gilbert's arrogance, and he was the only one who could keep up with her aggression.

The Hungarian girl had grown up with him; from rowdy kids playing on the street to comrades in war, supporting each other, stumbling through the devastating wreckage of bomb-hit buildings and bloodied pavement. Time never seemed to be a problem to them; they were best friends, and best friends they would remain, but little did they know their relationship was about to change.

With the moon high in the sky, the sound of Elizabeta's bare feet padding on the cold floor echoed through the corridors. She was on the way to fix herself a midnight snack, humming a happy little tune, a skip in her light steps. Passing by the closed door of the bathroom, she paused suddenly. She swore she heard someone's voice through the door.

"That's weird. Gilbert should be in bed by now." Elizabeta wondered aloud to herself. The cocky Prussian was staying at her house for the week after showing up on her doorstep last night, silver white hair soggy with rain and somewhat disheveled under the moonlight, staring at his feet and mumbling something along the lines of "My blasted brother kicked me out of our shared apartment." She didn't mind his sudden visit, as he was always a welcome guest. Yet lurking in the bathroom in the ungodly hours of the night was slightly unsettling to the young lady.

Before she could take action, she heard something that made her heart skip a beat.

"' _Sah-ret-lek_ ' _?_ No, that's not right. _Tuh-ret-lek_ ' _?_ No, that doesn't sound right either. Ugh, at this rate she'll kick me out before I get the chance to even tell her."

Elizabeta's breath caught in her throat. It was unmistakably Gilbert Beilschmidt's voice, albeit nervous and self-conscious, but the imperious tone and distinct German accent was still there.

Blushing a deep crimson from neck to cheeks, Elizabeta pressed her palms to her warm face. _What in the world is he doing?_ She wondered. There was only one Hungarian girl who Gilbert knew of, yet the possibility of his confession was just unbelievable.

"I must be imagining things," she reassured herself, rubbing her hands along her arms. "I'm probably just too excited to see him." Turning around on her heels, she continued her way to the kitchen, shaking the thought off her mind.

Once satisfied with the small sandwich in her hands, the brown haired girl made her way back to her room. Yet as she passed the bathroom, she could still hear Gilbert; this time something that sounded like a low groan and a thump against the wall.

"Is everything alright in there?" Elizabeta mustered up her courage and knocked lightly on the door.

"Huh? Oh, yes, everything's fine, Elizabeta. Go back to bed." A frantic voice sounded through the door, and she could hear him fumbling around the tiny bathroom, knocking a few bottles of shampoo over and she winced as she heard a crash, followed by a loud curse in German. "I'm just minding my own business here."

Maybe it was because it was in the middle of the night, or because it was just the little devil inside of Elizabeta wanting to tease her childhood friend, but with a slight smirk forming on the corner of her mouth she asked tauntingly, "What business? Care to enlighten me?"

A surprised yelp escaped from the other side of the door. "What? No! It's not like that, I swear!" The bathroom door was flung open, and Elizabeta came face to face with a red faced Gilbert, hair still tousled from a sleepless night and dressed in nothing but a pair of loose fitting pants. Elizabeta automatically shifted her gaze, trying hard to maintain focus on his face but it was all too tempting to look down and just catch a slight glimpse of broad shoulders and toned abs. Gilbert, to her relief, did not seem to notice her discomfort as he was too absorbed in his own predicament at the moment.

Raising his hands in surrender, he stammered, "Elizabeta, I swear, it's not what you think it is, I just got frustrated while practicing -" he broke off suddenly, as if almost revealing a secret, and hurriedly hid his arms behind his back.

Elizabeta, for the first time, noticed that Gilbert seemed to be keeping something from her.

"What's going on, Gilbert? What have you got in your hands?" Awfully suspicious and curious, she leaned into his still-flaming face. "Do you have something to hide from me?"

He immediately backed up until he came into contact with the chilled tiles of the bathroom wall. Jumping with the sudden surprise, a piece of paper flitted lightly to the ground. But before Elizabeta could grab the mysterious note, he reached out a foot and covered it before she got her chance.

Elizabeta frowned. "Gilbert, you know how I feel about secrets." She took a bite out of her sandwich, in an attempt to mask her uneasiness and crossed her arms.

"You wouldn't have to worry about it if you weren't sneaking around in the middle of the night eavesdropping on me! You always worry about others too much; you should worry about your own problems first!" He retorted rather harshly, and shoved her backwards.

Guilt flashed in his eyes, but he was quick to derive her attention from the slip of paper that held the last shred of his dignity and pride as a Prussian. "You shouldn't be eating this late at night. You'll get fat." He jabbed his elbow lightly to her side, just like he always did when they had argued as kids. The motion would always spark a fight between the two, usually ending with them scuffling on the ground until Elizabeta finally climbed on top in victory. But this time, the desired effect did not happen. Instead, Gilbert found himself looking into clear green eyes filled with hurt and anger.

Before he could apologize, he was attacked by a string of Hungarian curses that he had absolutely no idea what they meant.

"How could you say that?! I let you stay in my house and cooked meals for you. I thought we were one step closer to our old relationship before Friderich came around!" Elizabeta yelled. She was fuming now, her whole body shaking with the force. Gilbert reached out a tentative hand to her shoulder.

"Don't touch me", she slapped his hand away, and turned her head. "For a moment I thought…never mind. It was all just my imagination." Dejected, exhausted and disappointed, the girl began to trudge back to her room, but was held back by a hand grasping tightly around her wrist. Her long forgotten sandwich slipped from her fingers and dropped to the floor.

"You thought…what?" A low voice murmured.

Elizabeta's vision clouded with unwanted tears, and she blinked them away furiously.

"Nothing. I was being stupid."

The grip on her wrist tightened, and she struggled to yank away, only for him to pull her into his arms. Her face now buried in Gilbert's bare shoulder, he could feel her tears trickling down, leaving behind a burning trail on his skin.

"Elizabeta, I'm only going to say this once, so listen closely," Gilbert's husky voice sounded close to her ear, and she shivered against the feeling. She could feel the vibration in his chest whenever he spoke, and the contact was driving her nerves insane. _First he insults me, and now he's trying to seduce me?_ Confused, Elizabeta squeezed her eyes shut and remained quietly in his embrace, arms by her sides. _Whatever he says now won't matter anymore. I'm leaving this house first thing in the morning._

" _Szeretlek_. You weren't imagining it, Elizabeta. _"_

Elizabeta's emerald eyes flew open. _What?_ That was the only thought in her head. _What?_ Her mind was spinning with so many thoughts and emotions all at once it took her a moment before she was able to form a coherent sentence.

"What…did you just say?" She heard a sigh, and felt Gilbert take a deep breath before speaking again, this time loud and clear as day.

" _Seh-ret-lek._ Or is my pronunciation so bad I have to say it in English?" Gilbert's embarrassed voice reached her ears and she smiled into his neck, a warm tingling sensation filling her body.

"Your pronunciation is fine, Gilbert. Although I wouldn't mind hearing it in English." She added teasingly, her hand coming to rest on his back, relieving the tension there. She felt his strong arms tighten around her, enveloping her completely, her body molded against his.

"No way. Twice is enough for a lifetime." Gilbert snorted. His hand moved down her hair in soothing strokes, until they finally came to rest on each side of her hip. "And I was serious about the sandwich, Elizabeta."

The unnecessary comment earned a light smack to his head. Pulling away, Elizabeta frowned, looking up into his crimson eyes that were filled with a tenderness she had never seen before, melting away her irritation. She cupped her hand along his cheek.

"I appreciate your efforts, Gilbert, but please. Next time, don't rehearse in the bathroom at midnight. It causes…misunderstandings…" She trailed off, taking notice for the first time just how close she was to the half-dressed Prussian.

Gilbert, in all his white haired ruby eyed Prussian glory followed her gaze until the realization dawned in his eyes. Confidence was never a problem for him, yet in his current state of undress he found himself struggling to stay composed. "I…sorry, I'll go get a shirt –"

"It's fine. Stay. I don't mind." Cool fingers lay on his arm, and Gilbert looked down to see Elizabeta with a small smile gracing her lips.

As the clouds parted in the starry night sky allowing a ray of moonlight to sift through the window, the two of them stayed in that position for a while; Gilbert's chin rested on top of Elizabeta's head, and she leaned against his chest, savoring their little moment of peace.

Their short-lived tranquility was disturbed, however, by the sudden shadow of a tall figure falling upon them, and a quiet exclaim of, "Oh shit, I'm so sorry."

Elizabeta broke away from the embrace instantly, pushing Gilbert against the corridor wall, who, on the other hand, was still trying to take in the fact that his macho rhino of a younger brother was standing awkwardly in the door way, eyes bulging with shock.

"We – we were just talking," Elizabeta waved her hands, desperately coming up with an explanation.

Ludwig spared a glance at her, after raising a skeptical eyebrow. "In front of the bathroom. At 2AM." Clearly the lame excuse did not fool the sharp eyed German.

Gilbert, who finally shook out of his stupor, came to his senses. "What are you doing here? Why do you have the keys to this house?"

"You have the spare key that Elizabeta gave, remember? You left it at home. I tried calling your phone but you didn't answer so I thought I might as well just leave it under a flower pot, but I noticed the door was unlocked so I wondered if you two were still up. Apparently my assumptions were correct," he finished off with a smirk.

Gilbert was now fuming, either from embarrassment or anger at his own carelessness Elizabeta couldn't tell, and his fists were clenched in disbelief. "And you didn't think to knock first?!"

"You should be thankful that I was kind enough to deliver the key to you personally," Ludwig reasoned, unfazed and used to his brother's fiery temper. "But I am sorry I interrupted your…ah, little moment." He added, smiling apologetically to Elizabeta, who shook her head.

Pushing the girl to the side, Gilbert stormed to the doorway, fist raised, prepared to give his brother a beating. "You little _saukerl_ , come back here!" He yelled to his brother, who was already well out the door and racing across the front yard. He glanced back at Elizabeta, whose eyes glimmered with amusement.

"Can we continue this later?"

As Gilbert chased after his younger brother, Elizabeta nodded and walked to the front of her door, and in a soft voice, said something that made him turn in his tracks, eyes wide with surprise, a wide grin slowly spreading to his face.

Barely audible, but not low enough to miss the words,

" _Ich liebe dich auch_."

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 _Szeretlek_ \- I love you (Hungarian)

 _Ich liebe dich auch_ \- I love you too (German)

 _Saukerl_ \- pig (German)

Hope you enjoyed this little one-shot! I had to use the internet to look up the different languages so I apologize for any mistakes. (Unlike Ludwig I don't use Google translate)

Not sure when my next update will be but I do have some ideas in my head for another Hetalia pairing, quite possibly JapanxTaiwan... No promises though.

Until next time!


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